Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1887-02-17
Interstate Commerce.


Interstate Commerce.
The above is dry old affair ofabout
three. columns in small type, and when
you have given ii "a hasty reading, there
are only two things that strike an edi-
tor, to-wit: Will lightning strike any
body of Ohio in an appointment for
Commissioner, and that the editorial
pass is safe, from the fact he Is not a
dead-head-doing $40 worth of adver-
tisement for every hundred miles of
travel. In nut shell it proposes to do
the fair thing, by the grace of five Com
missioners, who have the power to be
very liberal with the railroads. The
first section defines common carrier,
and applies the provisions of the act to
any common carrier engaged in the
transportation of passengers wholly by
railroad and partly by water when both
are used, under a common control, ,
management or arrangement, through
more than one State or Territory, or from
any place in the United States to an
adjacent foreign country, and defines
the word railroad" to include all
bridges and ferries used or operated by
any railroad; the second and third for
bid discrimination; the fourth and fifth
forbid difference in proportionate
charges for the transportation for long
and short distances and also the "pOol-
ing" of traffic by competing lines; the
sixth provides that ninety days
after the passage of the act all
companies, etc., to whom this applies
must post in prominent places for pub
lie inspection, schedules of rates, etc.:
these rates are not to be raised without
ten days notice, but can be lowered the
day that notices to that effect are
posted; the seventh makes agreement
between common carriers to prevent
continuous transportation unlawful; the
eighth makes the common carrier con-
victed of violation of this act, liable for
damages and also attorneys fees for the
prosecution; the ninth provides that
persons claiming damages can prose-
cute O common carrier before any
United States Court or before Com
mission provided for by other sections;
the tenth makes it a penal Oftense to
violate any of the provisions of this act,
and puts the maximum of the fine
which may be imposed at $1,000. Ac-
cording to other sections, the commits
sion is to consist of five persons, whose
term of office shall be for six years, ex-
cept for the first appointment, which
are to be for two, three, four, five and
six years, The members of this Com
mission are to be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice of
the Senate. Their principal office shall
be in Washington, but they may hold
sessions at other places than Washing
ton, and a single member of the Com
mission may take testimony anywhere,
as may be directed by the Commission.
These Commissioners have salaries OF
$500 each. Section "a provides that
the provisions of Section II and 18 of
this act, relating to the appointment
and organization of the Commission
herein provided for, shall take effect
Immediately and the remaining pro-
visions of this act shall take effect sixty
days after its passage. This is, of course,
only brief outline of the bill, but its
principal features have been touched
upon. .....
President Cleveland has vetoed the
pauper pension bill. This will be a bitter
disappointment TO many, and will sub.
ject the President to severe criticism in
certain quarters, but on fuller considera.
ton his act will be approved by thought
full men of all parties: There is no ques-
tion but that the Government should
pay, and pay literally, all who render.
ed it service in the time of need, and
should also recompense them for disa-
bilites incurred in such service, but the
bill in question did not propose to do
either. 1t simply transferred part OF
the burthen of pauperism from the
local authorities to the General Govern
f1ent. To call this SOLDIERS pen
siOnn is an abuse of terms. Always and
in all countries soldiers pension has
been regarded as a compensation for
service rendered or for disability in
Cured in service, and not as charity
dependent on indigence for which the
Government is not responsible. The
ex-soldier who labors under no disabili-
-ty, yet becomes dependent through
misfortune, improvidence or other
causes, can not complain of unfairness
if he has to take his chances with his
fellow citizens who reach the same des-
tination by the same roads. The pau
per pension bill was wrong in principle,
and would have led to endless abuses
in practice. 1t was not demanded by
the soldiers who did the fighting, and
who do not ask penny in charity
from the Government. In plain Eng
lish, it was levy on the rifle-pits for
the benefit of the "ambulance brigade u
and any veteran knows what that
means. 1t would have increased taxa
ton by about $70,0O0,O0O a year, but
this was secondary consideration moi
sufficient to condemn the bill had il
been Just. Pension laws ED amend
ing, but this would have been a dan
gerous departure Cincinnati Times
Star. .i #p
Good News from Washington.
One application we'll rubbed in Of